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Leadership is often a popular topic discussed by Social Worker Dr Brene Browne as our ability to show up as our true authentic selves, she says "To be the person who we long to be—we must be vulnerable. We must take off the armour, put down the weapons, show up, and let ourselves be seen."
In our world today we often ask each other whether we should choose between our passion or career, but we need to stop letting this dyadic conflict impact our lives. We need to explore our thoughts around how we can be a leader by practising what we value. The questions we need to ask ourselves more of is “how can we let our skills shine?" or "How can we create a balanced and holistic life where we have time to do the things we enjoy?”
Many Gen Z's and Y's understands the struggles and costs associated with modern-day living, they want a stable salary but they get bored of living a routine life. To take risks, go off-road and disregard formulas just doesn’t feel very pleasing, especially in today’s climate of economic uncertainty. Risk-takers doesn’t let the fear of failure stop them from pursuing their goals and dreams. They embrace and accept uncertainty. It's not that Risk takers are not afraid, they just know that the cost of not trying outweighs the cost of staying the same.
The best way to take risks or go “off-road” is to commit to the journey, create process orientated goals and find a way to craft your time wisely without isolating yourself from other people. Comparing yourself to others will only hinder you from being able to move forward.
We need to be inquisitive about our own life situations, solve problems and find solutions. We need to look deeply into our values and ask ourselves what is important to us. Is it being: humble, creative, outgoing, precise, efficient, technical, knowledgeable, kind, generous, wise, friendly, responsible, personable, authentic, diligent or daring. These are just some of the traits we might value in a leader and finding these characteristics within us and practising how we want to be is something we can start practice right now.
Everyone can practice being a leader and you don’t have to have a title to prove your worthiness to others. When you start asking yourself questions like “how can I commit more time towards doing what I’m passionate about while finding opportunities for myself and others”, you are asking yourself what a true leader practices every day. That is curiosity, innovation and compassion. You might find it really hard crafting the life you want, but by having a wholehearted commitment towards living a purposeful life, you’ve already started your journey into creating a meaningful story.
" If we want people to fully show up, to bring their whole selves including their unarmored, whole hearts—so that we can innovate, solve problems, and serve people—we have to be vigilant about creating a culture in which people feel safe, seen, heard, and respected." -Brene Brown.
Firstly, let's make it clear that there is nothing wrong with wanting to do what you love and get paid for it, ONLY IF you are ready to do things you might not like while committing to a life of purpose.
Roadblocks may get in a way, you may have encounters with people you don't like and you may find you may have to do some things that may be uncomfortable. Doing what you love every day will also require you to give up things that you love. If the benefits outweigh the costs then jump in and enjoy the ride. There will be a lot of uncertainty, perhaps followed by a series of lessons and rewards, regardless of the outcome, as long as you choose the adventure towards self-growth, there is nothing impossible or unreachable about living a purposeful life.
When you have Ikigai you commit to a process of living by your values regardless of the situation and circumstances of your life. It's embracing and never forgetting to practice doing what you love. Ikigai is not about doing what you love and getting paid for it, it's about doing what your love...period. Ikigai is about committing to the process of creating change and making sure to practice things that brings you joy!
When you do what you love or spend time with people who you love, you are living a life of passion and purpose, there is less of a need to choose between passion vs pay. When you live a balanced and meaningful life, you will hate some days, just as much as you may love someday, and when the days of hate outweighs the days of love, that is when you need to reassess your life.
True leaders can manage the internal distress and mindfully regulate themselves in a way where they can continue to show up to their values through thick and thin. The thought of hating their jobs are less likely to enter their mind because they see what they don’t like as a challenge or obstacle that they can overcome and learn from.
Choosing courage does not need to be in an intense, extremist way where you spend all your hours working or creating. Choosing couraging is, first of all, showing up as a Leader, that is by getting a better understanding of your own needs. This may include resting when you need to, spending time with the people you love and giving yourself time to re-prioritise your values.
When we show up to ourselves, quite often, the people around us naturally take notice of what we are doing, especially when we are embracing our unique talents and our identity. Leadership is our ability to notice our needs, communicate them to others and hold space for those who come to us when they need our help. When we practice being a leader and let ourselves be seen for who we are, this in itself is changing our culture, one person at a time.
At Ikigai Psychology Clinic we believe that to succeed you must choose courage over comfort. If you need assistance with finding your purpose our Psychologists and Mental Health Accredited Social Worker and Therapists are trained to support you with discovering your Ikigai.
Our method of practice incorporates assisting you to develop strategies to cope with uncomfortable situations so that you can overcome your fears. Our aim is more than just to take you from a place of feeling "bad" to a place of feeling "good". We are here to support you on your journey to help you find your purpose so that you can become a true leader in your community!